Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-02-01
WHEN THE VINTAGE BEGINS.

spurious.
WHEN THE VINTAGE BEGINS.
Three fourths of the champagne grapes
are blacb-for the color Of the grape does
not necessarily affect the color Of the
wine. They are about as old as the hills
on which they grow. When the vintage
begins the roadsides and villages arc
crowded with the scum CT large cities
Travelling showmen and basketmak
ugly looking rufians from Belleville,
dark haired and ragged Italian, and bare
footed gamins-these hordes of monde
scripts are the vintagers. Grape gather
ing in itself is not an unpleasant occupa-
ton. The vintagers get 9 francs 40
cents day. and take about twice that
value in grapes. When the dirty fingered
fraternity has gathered the fruit it is
placed in panniers and conveyed from the
fields by asses carefully nluZzled. AS
the sss is not addicted to going unreason-
ably-ncver at any time since Balaam's
went back to hiIn-the grapes are not
likely to get crushed in hurried transit.
The wine presses are kept at work all
night. The proprieiors who have not
presses of their own sell their grapes to
the manufactU ers. The price, which
varies according to the quality and the
quantity in the market ranges between
10 and 90 cents lie kiloSramme (two and
a quarter poun ts). a hectaTe OF grapes
will yield four barrels Of wine of 200
Etres each (about fifty BARRELS Two kilos
are required to make a litre Ga little over
quartz. The cream OF the grape is first
extracted by the press. The first squeeze
is very light. The others are more power
full, and produce each time more and
more inferior quality of juice, until the
siXsA is reached, by which time very little
is la in the skins. The skins, which are
not distilled with the juice, as is the case
with making Bordeaux, are used to make
a very bad brandy.
FROM JUICE TO THE BOTTLE.
The process through which champagne
passes from the juice to the bottle is some
what complicated First the Juice is put
in barrels and allowed to ferment. After
three months the produce Of different
vineyards is mixed in enormous watts, ac-
cording to the recipe in vogue in the par
ticular establishments; and to this is
added, il necessary, proportion of some
old wine. A subtle taste is required when
the wine is in this state to discover when
it has acquired tie proper flavor and
bouquet. Then comes the important
point of effcrvescencc-a source of great
anxiety to the manufacturer, for the ex-
trenest care must be taken to regulate the
amount Of carbonic acid gas which has
generated in the wine.
Too much will burst the bottles and too
little viii make the wine fat. The sac
charine matter in the wine is also rcgu-
lated at this point, and if the standard
has not been reached tie deficieny is sup
piled by the finest sugar candy.
The wine is now drawn Off into casks to
undergo the filming. which removes the
''ropiness. 1t is then ready for bottling.
1t sometimes remains in the bottles sew
eral years before it goes through the final
process. The bottles, placed first horizon
tally, are gradually raised up until they
stand vertically, head downward. They
are shaken and turned round every day.
This is to mako the sediment descend, for
all foreign matter goes with the juice, for
the simple reason that it cannot be got to
60 anywhere else. The wine cleans itself,
however, and finally all the deposit col
lects in lump on the cork from which is
is "disgorged," literally blown out, cork
and ali. Then certain quantity Of
liQueur is put in to fill up the bottle again
and to give to the wine its distinctive
character. This Gqueur consists Of a
Of the very finest sugar candy,
the best champagne and the Oldest and
purest cognac With this liqueur the
wine is blended, made dry or sweet, to
siIit the taste of the manufacturer and his
customers. The next process is the cork
ing.
Many people, doubtless, on comparing
the size OF champagne cork with the
neck of the bottle have wondered, as tie
man did when he saw the fly in tho amber, |
how Il set there. Tho TACT IS = il driven
there by = powerful machine and a |
twenty pound weight The bottles after |
being corked are wired and set aside for |
several months-then tinseled and lab |
eled-Cor Hartford Times.